Style Diary: Yeoville

Over the last twenty years, the Johannesburg suburb of Yeoville has become home to many African immigrants from the rest of the continent. For this reason this small, formerly Jewish suburb, has become an example of a micro African metropolis where various cultures contest for space. It was while living here that South African filmmaker Zandile Tisani became fascinated with the style on the streets around her, enough to inspire her to make a short film: “The idea for Style Diary: Yeoville came from a recognition that what we commonly understand as street style in Africa is measured by its proximity to the street style fare we are accustomed to seeing out of New York, London and Paris. At the time I was living in Yeoville and became struck, daily, by the flair with which my neighbours presented themselves without trying to appease hipster-influenced, supposed sartorial conventions. What I learned is that while fashion might be a playground for the elite, style is intuitive and by virtue of its authenticity; a far more interesting story to tell.”

As the video takes us through the neighbourhood we briefly meet a variety of characters with different relationships to clothing; holding on to a piece of home through dress, maintaining businesses by selling Chinese bought items, or re-enacting the style seen in music videos which play on loop throughout the various hair salons in the area.¬†All of these elements are visible in the way people dress.